Question of the Day

Did illegal voters swing any congressional races?

ETA suspected in new attacks

MADRID A car bomb exploded outside a Civil Guard barracks in central Spain yesterday just hours after a town councilor was shot dead in the latest wave of attacks blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA.The blast, which injured one person, occurred as Spaniards mourned the death of Jose Maria Martin Carpena, a ruling-party politician gunned down Saturday night in the coastal resort of Malaga.ETA made no claim of responsibility it rarely does until weeks later but government officials said there was no doubt the rebels were behind both attacks.Interior Minister Jaime Mayor Oreja accused ETA of "savagery" and vowed that the government would not bow to "acts of terror."

Second gas blast kills 30 in Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria Just days after an explosion in southern Nigeria killed 200 persons scavenging fuel, an unrelated pipeline blast yesterday left dozens dead, witnesses and reporters said.The latest explosion occurred in the early morning on a river between the villages of Ifie and Ijala, three miles south of the oil port of Warri. Many of the victims were believed to be vandals using pumps to suck the fuel from the pipeline into metal drums.Officials for the Delta State government said that at least 30 persons had been killed.

Indian airliner crashes near runway

Flying from Calcutta, the plane was scheduled to stop at Patna, capital of Bihar state, and then Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh state, before landing in New Delhi. Airport officials said the plane crashed about a third of a mile southwest of the airport.

Russian journalist dies from injuries

MOSCOW A Russian journalist died yesterday of injuries he suffered when he was beaten on his way home in May, his editor said.Igor Domnikov, an editor at the liberal daily Novaya Gazeta, was repeatedly struck with a heavy object in the stairwell of his Moscow apartment building.There have been several killings and attacks on journalists in the post-Soviet period.

Mugabe readies Zimbabwe land grab

Harare, ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe's white farmers awaited their fate Sunday after President Robert Mugabe embarked on an aggressive approach to the seizure of their properties.Anxious to hand out white farms as rapidly as possible, Vice President Joseph Msika began the land grab Saturday and promised that 200 properties would be seized "immediately."

Iranian students stage protest sit-in

TEHRAN Leaders of Iran's largest student group began a sit-in outside the parliament buildings yesterday to protest the acquittal of police forces on charges of storming a student hostel last July.Eight leaders of the pro-reform Office for Fostering Unity sat in front of the reformist-dominated parliament, or Majlis, to denounce the "judiciary's double-standard practices."On Tuesday, a military court acquitted the former Tehran police chief, Brig. Gen. Farhad Nazari, and 17 of his subordinates of storming a Tehran University dormitory.

Guatemalan voyage fatal for 22 refugees

MEXICO CITY At least 22 Guatemalans hoping to migrate to the United States in search of a better life drowned off Mexico's southeastern coast of Oaxaca, according to Mexican press accounts yesterday.The accident occurred Thursday night when a strong wave capsized a motorboat carrying some 22 to 25 persons, mainly poor peasants, the daily said. Two women and two children were among the dead.